Retrospect
The Franks, inhabiting both sides of the Rhine, held a leading position
among the German tribes about the middle of the fifth century, three
hundred years before the time of Charlemagne. They invaded Gaul from the
north and subdued that part of it occupied by the Alemanni[6] and
Burgundians,[7] and securely established themselves in the eastern and
southeastern parts of the country, southern Gaul being occupied by the
West Goths.[8]
About this period Clovis[9] made his appearance among the Franks. He was
brave to the extreme of hardihood and at the same time thoroughly
unprincipled. He ruled over one family[10] of Franks, relatives of his
being chiefs of the others. The family ancestor of the Franks was
Merovæus, from whom the Merovingians derived their name.
Notwithstanding their relationship, the Frank chiefs were in continual
strife with each other, but Clovis at last secured a kind of sovereignty
over all the families and forced his relations to furnish him with
warriors. As soon as this was accomplished, he set about making his
power absolute and suppressing their mutual quarrels, as he was
determined they should assist him in further invasions of Gaul. The only
remnant of Roman power left in Gaul (that part of it lying between the
Seine and the Loire) still maintained its political independence. It was
against this region, which was under the rule of the Roman patrician
Syagrius, that Clovis next directed his operations. He provoked him to
war, defeated him, and forced the West Goth King, Alaric the Second (who
was ultimately slain in battle by Clovis), with whom Syagrius sought
shelter, to give him up. He then strangled him in prison.
Clovis next made war against the Burgundians, who, as has been said,
occupied the southeastern part of Gaul and were ruled at that time by
two brothers, Gundobald and Godegisel. Both fell victims to his cruelty.
One of the dead brothers left a daughter Clotilde, for whose hand Clovis
appealed to her uncle, the Burgundian chief. The uncle did not dare
refuse Clovis's request, and Clotilde, the Christian, became his wife.
She immediately set about the task of converting him, but did not
succeed at that time. His purpose was to secure her inheritance, not her
religious faith.
Before concluding final arrangements with the Burgundians another
problem presented itself for settlement. The Alemanni were threatening
Siegbert, one of his relations. This gave him a sufficient pretext for
drawing his sword against them. A decisive battle was fought at
Toul.[11] It was a bloody encounter, and victory at first appeared to
favor the Alemanni. Thereupon, thinking of Clotilde's appeals to him, he
invoked the Christians' God before his whole army and promised to become
a Christian if he won the victory. Thereupon he massed his forces and
hurled them upon the enemy with such fierceness that the onset was
irresistible. The Alemanni were decimated, and Clovis occupied the
entire region between the Neckar and Lahn and forced it to supply
warriors to make good his losses. In the same year he and three thousand
of his followers were baptized at Rheims.
The German chiefs who had embraced Christianity at an earlier period had
given their adhesion to the Arian confession, but Clovis gave his to the
Catholic. There was great rejoicing in Rome, and the Pope conferred upon
him the title of "All Christian King," which title also descended to his
Frankish successors. Later the clergy spread the report abroad that a
miracle took place at the time of Clovis's baptism. It was said that
there was no consecrated oil at hand. As the bishop stood helpless at
the altar a white dove suddenly flew down with a flask of oil in its
beak, a sign that his name had been inscribed in heaven and that his
conversion had given delight to God and the angels. To satisfy the
sceptical, the wonderful flask was preserved in the Cathedral of Rheims,
and the precious contents were not diminished, though it was used
whenever the rite was repeated. In fact the flask was used at every
coronation down to the close of the last century. The story of its
origin spread and is believed by some even to this day. Neither baptism,
nor anointing, nor papal titles, however, could change the deceitful,
truculent, bloodthirsty nature of Clovis. He next turned against his
wife's Burgundian relatives, who were subjugated and compelled to pay
tribute to him.
Clovis was now master of Gaul even to the southern part of it, which had
belonged to the West Goths who a century earlier, under the leadership
of Ataulf, had taken possession of the country north and south of the
Pyrenees (southern Gaul and northern Spain). As there was no political
pretext for making war upon the West Goths he found a religious one. The
"All Christian" King Clovis assembled the bishops and secular leaders
and thus addressed them:
"Shall the West Goth heretics occupy that beautiful country and
persecute our Catholic brethren? Arise in the name of our faith and
conquer them!"
Clovis had now openly declared his adherence to the Catholic faith, and
there was fresh rejoicing in Rome when it was known that he had
undertaken a crusade against the West Goths. He was victorious in a
battle with Alaric the Second, whom he slew with his own hand, but was
prevented by Theodoric the Great,[12] father-in-law of Alaric, from
subjugating the entire West-Gothic kingdom. He had to be content with
the sovereignty of the region between the Loire and the Garonne
(Provence) as part of the Frankish Empire.
Clovis's career was continually marked by injustice, cruelty, and
bloodshed. One outrage rapidly followed another. He next sought to add
the possessions of his Frankish relatives to his kingdom. Siegbert, with
whom he had fought against the Alemanni, was a cripple because of a
wound received in the battle of Toul. Clovis sent word to his son that
his father had lived too long, and that if he were out of the way they
might be friends. The dissolute son had his father murdered, and sent
this message to Clovis: "My father is no longer living. Send messengers
to me, and they shall take whatever you need from my treasures." Clovis
sent his messengers, but upon another errand. The young prince led them
to the treasure chamber and they assassinated him there.
Clovis next assumed the role of avenger of Frankish chiefs killed by
Siegbert. He summoned the heads of the Frankish families and brought
such inducements to bear that they voluntarily acknowledged his
authority and accepted his sovereignty. He secretly inspired an uprising
against one relative, who had proved too obstinate; and when he was
brought before him by his own people in chains, Clovis exclaimed: "What!
are you not ashamed to appear before me in chains and to disgrace our
princely race?" With these words he cut off his head with a battle-axe.
He also killed his victim's brother because he dared to protest. Sooner
or later all his relatives who wavered in allegiance suffered from his
wrath. Then he began to grow anxious lest some one of the family might
have been spared. He hypocritically lamented that he had not a relative
he could trust. He instituted a search, but all inquiries were useless.
He was in undisputed possession of a kingdom which extended from the
mouth of the Rhine to Switzerland on the south, to the Atlantic ocean on
the west, and almost to the Pyrenees on the southwest. He thought
himself secure against all enemies, but in his forty-fourth year death
overtook him.
Four sons inherited his kingdom, but there was no peace among them or
any of their descendants during the next two centuries. Treachery,
assassination, and poison were the agencies employed by the male members
of the princely house to gain their end. Petty jealousy, envy, and
revenge drove their wives to crimes of the worst description. Simplicity
of customs disappeared from court life. Roman civilization accomplished
its fatal work. The once princely Merovingian race was degenerated by
physical and spiritual weakness.
[Illustration: _CHARLEMAGNE_]
[Illustration: _CHARLES MARTEL_]
[Illustration: _PEPIN THE SHORT_]
[Illustration: _CLOVIS_]
The result of all this was a change in governmental relations. Before
the close of the sixth century the weak Merovingians relinquished the
responsibilities of rule to the mayor of the palace.[13] Among those who
filled the position, Pepin of Landen, the founder of the Pepin family
afterwards known as Carolingians or Carlovingians, was conspicuous. That
the Frankish kingdom, which included also Burgundy and Thuringia,
escaped dissolution was entirely due to this powerful Pepin family.
Subsequently Pepin of Heristal, a member of the same family, rose to the
honor of leadership. After many distinguished achievements, his son
Charles, who was called Charles Martel, or "the Hammer," because of his
victory over the Moors in 732, succeeded him. The Frankish kingdom, as
well as the German Christian world, was saved by him from a great
disaster at the hands of the Moors, who twenty-one years later (711)
overthrew the power of the West Goths in Spain and established
themselves there.
Another Pepin, called "the Short," by reason of his low stature,
succeeded Charles Martel. The enemies of the country--the Saxons
particularly--felt the weight of his power. An enmity of long standing
existed between the Saxons and the Franks, and they had often met in
fierce encounters. It is hard to say which side was to blame, but it is
certain that the Saxons, especially after the Franks had been
Christianized, often invaded the country of the latter, and that the war
which Pepin waged against them was to that extent a just one. He at last
subdued them and forced them to pay tribute. It was in Pepin's time also
that the form of government was restored to the old royal system; and
while he accomplished this he also insisted that the influence of the
clergy should not be impaired. First of all he sought to secure the
favor of the bishops of the country, and succeeded so well that two of
them agreed to settle matters with the Pope. Everything seemed to favor
his plans. The Pope was hard pressed by the brave Lombardian King
Haistulf and in sore need of help. After consultation with the bishops
Pepin compelled Haistulf to give up his possessions to the Pope, and the
Pope recognized the Franks as defenders of the Church.[14]
Pepin the Short, like his predecessors, Charles Martel, Pepin of
Heristal, and Pepin of Landen, achieved great results for the Frankish
kingdom. For some years he carried on war with Aquitania and eventually
added that country to his dominions. When the Saxons hesitated about
paying the tribute which his father had exacted from them, he drew his
sword and compelled them to keep their agreement. When he realized that
his death was fast approaching, he divided his kingdom between his sons,
Charles[15] and Carloman. Charles, the elder, inherited Aquitania,
Austrasia,[16] Thuringia, Bavaria, Mainz, and Worms; Carloman inherited
Burgundy, Alsace, Provence, and Alemannia. Neustria[17] was divided
equally between them.
Pepin died in 768.